Health Hints: Get glowing skin this New Year

Maintaining a glowing complexion is a tough undertaking to keep up with year round, especially in the winter months when piercing winds and bitter cold air seems to strain our skin to dull and chapped. With the thousands of face products out in the market in every price range, how are you supposed to know what works and what doesn’t without busting your bank account midway through sampling? The best bet to get life-long radiant looking skin is to figure out where you are going wrong. By that, I mean, decipher which skin care myths have mislead you in the past and learn what techniques are you missing out on just because you weren't previously informed. Follow these basic skin care tips below and you will be six steps closer to the beaming complexion you’ve always dreamed of.

1. Wash your face night by night: We all have done it. You come home from a long night out with friends ready to hop in your bed for a good night’s sleep. The last thing you want to do is get up and wash your makeup off so you put it off to the morning hours. It's time to break that bad habit! Leaving cosmetic products such as blush, foundation and other types of makeup on overnight can not only clog pores but also is a main contributor to bacterial infections such as conjunctivitis (aka. pink eye). Many products that we put on our face contain sugar-like substances within the cosmetic solution that anchors yeast bacteria growth. By consistently leaving makeup on the face, skin will become dry, flaky, irritably itchy and can also result in unwelcome acne spots to appear.

2. But don’t over wash either! Wash your face no more than twice per day, once in the morning when you wake up and once at night to rid the skin of makeup, oils and dirt collected on the surface throughout the day. If you have sensitive skin, solely cleanse at night. By over washing the face, you are stripping the skin of its natural oils that meant to protect from dirt and bacteria entering the pores. By eliminating these natural oils, the body quickly tries to replenish the skin by producing an excessive amount of oils that ends up settling in pore passages and creating black head blockages. Consequently, this can cause acne blemishes and dry spots across the face. So, in conclusion, if you are crazy about keeping a clean complexion, switch to scrubbing up only once to two times a day with either a gentle cleanser that clear away makeup traces, or just with a bit of warm water.

3. Zap germs from your makeup brushes: When was the last time you sanitized your makeup brushes? Was it three months ago? Six months? Possibly even longer? This is something that every woman fails to do simply because, well, we just don’t think about it. Brush applicators should be washed every two to four weeks depending on how frequently you wear makeup. Shocking, I know. Think about it; if you apply makeup at least five days a week, every time that you paint these pigments on your face, your brush’s bristles pick up and hold onto dirt, perspiration and excess oils that are found on your face. Over time your brush set will become a haven for growing bacteria and you will be continuously swiping that germ-filled brush all over your face, on your eye lids and across your lips daily. Now think again back to when you cleaned your makeup brushes last, if ever. Eek!

To wash your makeup brushes, use a mild cleanser such as face wash or hand soap and slowly lather into the bristles being cautious not to break or bend them in an opposing direction. Next, soak the brushes in a sink full of warm water and carefully flush the soap out of the bristles. Rinse under the running faucet until the water becomes clear of any color; if makeup continues to run out of the brush, re-wash with soap again until completely clear of residue. Finally, dry each brush with care on a towel then lay flat across the towel to air dry.

4. Vitamin Victory: If you are already taking multivitamins daily, add Vitamin E and fish oil supplements to your regimen. Vitamin E pills works hand in hand with strengthening and illuminating the skin, while fish oil supplements contain high dosages of omega-3 and omega 6 fatty acids that act to improve the regrowth of skin cells and reduce irregular inflammation. Fish oil supplements have also been linked building stronger, healthier hair too.

Aveeno.comAveeno's "Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer SPF 30"

5. Sun Protection: There has been so much hype over the direct relation of skin cancer to tanning bed and sun exposure over the past five years that there is absolutely no excuse to “forget” to douse yourself in sunscreen and fail to cover up. It is vital to buy a sunblock that protects the skin from both UVA and UVB rays and apply on a daily basis even if you aren’t heading to the beach. Your face and hands are exposed to the sun’s strong rays most frequently so it is best to scope out moisturizer and lip balm that contains a fair dosage of SPF too. I highly recommend using Aveeno “Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer SPF 30” for its light, oil-free properties. Come the blazing hot days of summer when you will be wearing flirty sundresses and next season's super short hot pants, do not forget to smear sunscreen all over your legs and arms every two to three hours daily; the greatest percentile of skin cancer diagnoses is most commonly detected on women’s legs from constant sun exposure and lack of sunblock application.

6. Just relax! An over worked and high stress lifestyle leads to many undesirable effects on the skin. Not only will anxiety and a lack of sleep cause those dreadful under the eye dark circles and a dull colorless face, but the body reacts to the stress by producing an overabundance of hormones. This irregular hormonal count has recently been linked to premature aging of the skin. So sit back and relax when life has you down if not for the sole reason to saver your skin. If you need a day to rejuvenate, head to the spa for a facial where you will later illuminate from a soothing day of being scrubbed down and exfoliated. Furthermore, if you need a quick fix for tired heavy eyes, use two green tea bags that have been soaked in cool water prior and place them over your eyes for ten to fifteen minutes. This will help to reduce the inflammation of dark puffy circles.

If your New Year’s resolution is to have beautiful beaming skin all winter long, try out these six tricks and report back on how they worked for you!

*Looking to create a whole new you this New Year? Tune into Masslive.com/fashion every day this week to get advice from fashion blogger Kathleen Thibodeau on how to kick off 2012 right. Eat healthy, look healthy, live healthy.